Apparatus for retrieving



May 30, 1961 R; LEES APPARATUS FOR RETRIEVING Filed Dec. 30, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBERT LEES May 30, 1961 R. LEES APPARATUS FOR RETRIEVING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 50, 1959 INVENTOR. ROBERT LEES .2. $61... ATTORNEY Unite,

APPARATUS FOR RETRIEVING Filed Dec. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 863,061

4 Claims. (Cl. 9-14) This invention relates to rescue or retrieving apparatus and more particularly is concerned with such apparatus adapted for use by naval underwater demolitionunits and the like.

Underwater missions are usually conducted from a large moving surface vessel for carrying anumber of personnel, some of whom operate as free divers in effecting a mission while others remain on'board for other duties. Depending upon the gravity or scope of the mission, a considerable number of personnel may be involved in water maneuvers, which often necessitates prolongedlperiods under water and that they be retrieved while the vessel is travelling at considerable speed. By prior methods of retrieving, the personnel have been picked up individually at vessel speeds of 10-12 knots, resulting in. a 4 to second interval between pick-ups. This is satisfactory for peace-time practice maneuvers but under war conditions or when the personnel have been in the water over extended periods and are nearing. exhaustion, these boat speeds and the resulting pick-up rate have been foundto be inadequate for the safety and protection of. the personnel.

Accordingly, it is a broad object of this invention to equip a surface vessel with retrieve or rescue apparatus which is manipulable by personnel to rapidly retrieve other personnel from the water surface.

Another object of the invention is to equip a surface vessel with retrieve or rescue apparatus which is arranged to be readily grasped by a person on the water surface and to propel the person toward the vessel.

A further object of this invention is to provide retrieve equipment in the form. of a cable incorporating a spring system for accelerating or propelling personnel from the water surface toward a rescue vessel.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specificat'ion taken in connection with the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the retrieve device of the invention attached to a rescue; vessel and having an auxiliary life boat assembled therewith to receive retrieved personnel;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View generally in section and showing a detail of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the surface vessel and life boat assembly with elements of the retrieve equipment enlarged to show details;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of an element of Figs. 1 and 3.

Referring to Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, a large surface ship 10, for example, a landing craft, has a small boat such as a rubber raft or life boat 11 attached thereto. To this end, conventional cleats 12 and 13 are suitably fixed respectively on the Vessel and life boat 11 and interconnected by a lashing 14 in order to maintain the life 'boat in close proximity to the landing craft. The purpose of this arrangement is that the life boat 11 in States Patent 0 2,985,896 Patented May 30, 1.961

ice

moving at the speed of the landing craft 10 will, during.

a retrieve or rescue operation, permit the personnel who are picked up to be readily placed into the life boat 11 since it is at a lower level and then transferred in some manner, as-by ladder, to the larger vessel 10.

The retrieve equipment comprises a rigid boom 15 which may conveniently be formed of tubular steel as shown in Fig. 2 and is mounted on the vessel 10 by means of a bracket plate 16 which is secured to the hull of the vessel by bolt connections 17. The bracket plate 16 is provided with a pair of bracket arms 18-18 having suitable aligned openings which receive therebetween the inner end of the boom 15 and which is also provided with suitable aligned openings, all for receiving a bolt 19 which is secured by nut 19" and permits angular adjustment of the boom 15 and positions its outer end in spaced relation with the vessel.

The boom 15 isprovided with a pair of upper and lower pulleys or wheels 20 and 21 respectively, which are similar in construction and mounted on its outer end portion in a particular manner to function as will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, a pair of spaced inner and outer bolts 23 and 24 each: extend diametrically through opposed openings in the outer end portion of the boom and the bolts are interconnected adjacent. their ends by upper and lower links 25 and 26, Spacers 27-27 are assembled on the outer bolt 24 between the links and the outer wall of the boom- 15 while the upper and lower pulleys 20. and 21 are. assembled on the inner bolt 23, along with suitable bearing washers 28,. between the links 25 and 26 and the outer wall of the booms 15, and suitable locking nuts 29-29 are provided for securing the assembly in position. The pulleys, spacers and links provide spaces or guides through which pretensionedshock cords extend as will be described.

A pair of pre-tensioned upper and lower elastic shock cords 30-31 respectively, Figs. 1 and 4, have one of their ends secured to vessel. 10 as by a. cleat 32. which is mounted on the deck of vessel 10 while the other end of upper cord 36 is reeved. around pulley 20 providingan outer end 33 which is lapped over the upper sleeve 27 and the other end of lower cord 31 is reeved around pulley 21 and has its outer end 34 lapped over the lower sleeve 27 as shown in Fig. 2. The pulley and sleeve assembly thus provides a guide means for the cords 30-31.

Each outer end 33 and 34 is enlarged in diameter, as shown at 35 and 36 for example, by applying layers of tape to the ends to form abutments for maintaining the cords 30 and 31 taut and the abutments or enlarged diameter areas terminate in eye or hook portions 37-38 for receiving resilient leaders 40 and 41 shown in Fig. 3 and having snares 42 and 43 at their outer ends which are grasped by the persons being retrieved.

In. order to provide greater rigidity to the boom 15 and.

associated elements, similar hooks or eye members 45-- 45 are secured to the boom at a convenient zone intermediate its ends, for example by welding, and receive opposed guide wires 46-46 which are attached and secured to the vessel. 10 by cleats 47-47 as shown. The guide wires 46-46 will be maintained taut to the extent desired and for this purpose suitable turnbuckles may be interposed in or on the wires.

By way of further explanation of the invention, each of the cords 30-31 are preferably pretensioned elastic shock cords and may be of nylon rope although other types of cords may be used. The cords are maintained under a tension of approximately pounds, the abutments 35 and 36 functioning to prevent any release of this tension or stored energy. The pre-tensioning at 150 pounds has been found to be the most desirable in view of the contemplated pick-up boat speed and the average weights of the persons to be retrieved. In operation, assume the vessel is operating at a speed of 25 knots, a snare man, located in the life raft 11 of Fig. 1 forward of the boom 15, holds one of the snares 42 or 43 in position for the person located in the water forward of the boat assembly in Fig. l to grasp it. After grasping a snare, the person will be positioned as shown grasping snare 42, due to the boat speed and the cord will be stretched to some degree and when this force is added to the stored energy already in the pre-tensioned cords, the person will be pulled or transported through the water toward the raft 11. Once a snare has been placed in the hands of one person, the snare man can then direct his attention to the next person, since the pre-tensioned resilient cord obviates the necessity for the snare man to assist a prior picked up person into the life raft. It will be understood that when other persons are to be retrieved, the snare man will re-use the snares in order as explained in connection with the first and second persons.

By the use of the aforedescribed apparatus, persons can be safely retrieved at boat speeds of up to 25 knots, resulting in pick-ups in less than 2 /2 second intervals.

Although only a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A surface vessel in combination with apparatus for retrieving persons from a body of water on which the vessel is being propelled, said apparatus comprising a boom secured to the vessel and having an outer end portion extending therefrom, a pulley mounted on said outer end portion of the boom on a first transverse axis, spacer means mounted on said outer end portion of the boom and outwardly of the pulley on a second transverse axis providing a space with the periphery of said pulley, a resilient retrieving cord having a fixed end secured to the vessel, 2. free end providing a snare and an enlargement between said ends, said retrieving cord being reeved about said pulley and extending through said space to position the enlargement in abutting relation with said spacer means to provide a tensioned portion with the fixed end of the cord and an untensioned portion with the free end of the cord whereby the snare may be positioned for reception by a person in the body of water.

2. A surface vessel in combination with apparatus for retrieving persons from a body of water on which the vessel is being propelled, said apparatus comprising a boom having its inner end mounted on one side of the vessel and providing an outer end portion extending laterally thereof, a pulley mounted on said outer end portion of the boom on a first transverse axis, spacer means mounted on said outer end portion of the boom and outwardly of the pulley on a second transverse axis providing a space with the periphery of said pulley, a resilient retrieving cord having a fixed end secured to the vessel at a point spaced longitudinally from the inner end of the boom, a free end having a snare and an enlargement between said ends, said retrieving cord being reeved about said pulley and extending through said space to position the enlargement in abutting relation with said spacer means to provide a tensioned portion with the fixed end of the cord and an untensioned portion with the free end of the cord whereby the snare may be positioned for reception by a person in the body of water.

3. A surface vessel in combination with apparatus for retrieving persons from a body of water on which the vessel is propelled, said apparatus comprising a boom having means securing its inner end to the vessel for angular adjustment and an outer end spaced from the vessel, a pair of aligned upper and lower pulleys mounted on said boom inwardly of its end, a pair of aligned spacer means extending transversely of the boom, said spacer means being disposed outwardly of and providing spaces with the peripheries of said pulleys, a pair of resilient retrieving cords each having one end portion fixed to said vessel, one of said cords having its other end portion extending around one pulley and through one of said spaces and the other of said cords having its other end portion extending around the other pulley and through the other of said spaces, a first leader having a snare at its outer end and its inner end connected to said other end portion of one cord, a second leader having a snare at its outer end and its inner end connected to said other end portion of the other cord, means about the connection between each leader and each retrieving cord for abutting the pulleys to maintain the retrieving cords in tension.

4. A surface vessel in combination with apparatus for retrieving persons from a body of water on which the vessel is propelled, said apparatus comprising a boom having means securing its inner end to the vessel and an outer end spaced laterally of the vessel, an inner and an outer vertical shaft extending transversely through said boom adjacent its outer end, each of said shafts providing an upper and a lower extension outwardly of the boom, an upper and a lower pulley mounted respectively on the upper and lower extension of the inner shaft, an upper and a lower spacer mounted respectively on the upper and lower extensions of the outer shaft, an end plate interconnecting the upper extensions adjacent their outer ends and an end plate interconnecting the lower extensions adjacent their outer ends, said end plates embracing the pulleys and spaces, a pair of resilient retrieving cords each having one end portion fixed to said vessel, one of said cords having its other end portion extending betwen the upper pulley and upper spacer and the other of said cords having its other end portion extending between the lower pulley and lower spacer, means on each of the other end portions of the retrieving cords for abutting the pulleys and maintaining the retrieving cords in tension and a snare means connected to each of retrieving cords adjacent their said other ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

